Wireless technology has vastly improved since it first came out years ago. Now you can practically do anything – control appliances using your phone, communicate over the Internet, bet on your favourite team online through Unibet, or play casino and video games on your computer or your phone. And all of this wouldn’t have been possible without wireless technology.

And soon, wireless technology is about to enter a new phase – the rise of 5G technology. 5G stands for “5th generation” marking an evolution in the wireless technology and standards that we will be using from now on. The agreed deadline for eventual commercialisation of this technology is in 2020, but manufacturers of wireless parts, like Qualcomm, have led the research faster than expected. Now, telecommunication companies are claiming that they can start testing and may implement the technology one year earlier.

5G tests and announced deployment

The current standard, 4G, is scheduled to be replaced by the year 2020, but as it stands right now, we’ll be able to get 5G in 2019, according to telecommunication companies offering the service in the US. This is most likely because the US is the world leader when it comes to research and development of 5G technology, thanks to Qualcomm and Intel. China places second, with the help of Huawei and ZTE.

The initial promise of 5G is that it will improve the current standard we have right now, 4G. This means less latency and more bandwidth for a society whose demand to be connected better and faster is growing by the minute. Smart technology and IoT technology will greatly benefit from 5G due to the faster, wider, and better transmission of data. Houses or structures that need one or several Wi-Fi repeaters now may just use the modem’s built-in Wi-Fi to cover the whole area. Tests of 5G connectivity have been performed, the most recent ones being in Korea for the 2018 Winter Olympics last February and Vodafone’s UK test last April. Major US telecom companies performed tests way earlier and have already announced deployment later this year.

How it will affect the industry

Telecommunications will obviously be the first industry that will be affected by the emergence of 5G. Any other industry that relies heavily on an Internet connection for some of their services will be next. The promise of reliable connection and low latency will mean that businesses can expect a better Internet connection with no disruptions.

IoT devices will be able to connect faster and more reliably than they do today. And because of this, the need for signal repeaters will grow less, giving homes and businesses energy-efficient and cost-effective wireless networks. The need to be wired may soon become obsolete. Just imagine a centralised smart system in your home controlling all your IoT devices or even using your phone to connect to these items and control them from anywhere inside your house, improved even more by 5G. This is now a possible future thanks to companies like Samsung and LG. You’ll be able to control your IoT washing machine or check the contents of your IoT refrigerator as you clean your car in the garage or lazily stay in bed. Specialised IoT devices, like machines that are used by doctors to perform surgery on patients who are miles away, can send and receive data more reliably and clearly.

Because of the improvement in wireless technology, mobile companies could possibly even improve, their services. With a wider range, they may be able to provide service to the most rural regions where wired connections are not possible or even improve the speed and quality of connection for those places that are connected through the internet by a wireless broadband connection.